Flash floods hit Dharali village in Uttarakhand after cloudburst near Kheer Ganga; homes, hotels damaged, many feared trapped
A cloudburst in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river triggered devastating flash floods in the high-altitude village of Dharali in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, sweeping away or damaging multiple houses and triggering widespread panic among residents.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as the sudden deluge forced villagers to scramble to higher ground for safety. Shocking videos from the site showed torrents of muddy water racing through the area as people screamed in fear.
Rajesh Panwar, a local resident, said that 10тАУ12 people are feared buried under the debris, and estimated that nearly 20тАУ25 hotels and homestays might have been washed away in the flash floods.
In response to the disaster, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he had spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to gather information on the situation. тАЬI have spoken to Uttarakhand CM to get information on flash flood in Dharali (Uttarkashi); 3 ITBP, 4 NDRF teams dispatched,тАЭ Shah said in a statement.
Earlier, a 16-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team had already been deployed to aid in rescue and relief operations. With the additional deployment of three more ITBP and four National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, efforts have intensified to locate and rescue those trapped or missing.
Officials said more details are awaited as search and rescue operations continue under difficult weather and terrain conditions.
